Re: [gentoo-user] wlan0 config questions

["Walter Dnes" <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>]

On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 04:03:08PM +0100, Mick wrote

> For PCs you don't typically need anything more than the default Gentoo
> scripts, but for a laptop wicd, networkmanager and the like will do
> exactly what you need with no perceptible overhead and the benefit of
> notifications for when things start bobbing up and down.

> If you already have installed wpa_supplicant I recommend running
> wpa_gui and enabling disabling any interfaces you care to associate
> with.  Then leave it running in the tooltray for quick access and
> notifications.

  I've got hal and dbus masked out (pam too), so wicd and networkmanager
are out of the question.  wpa_gui is a Qt frontend to wpa_cli.  The qt4
*TARBALL* is approx 150 megabytes.  Disk space is not the problem, but
loading unnecessary libs on an underpowered memory-constrained netbook
is an issue.  Besides, I can always...

[aa1][root][~] modprobe ath5k
[aa1][root][~] /etc/init.d/net.wlan0 restart
 * Stopping wlan0
 *   Bringing down wlan0
 *     Shutting down wlan0 ...                                  [ ok ]
 *     Stopping wpa_cli on wlan0 ...                            [ ok ]
 *     Stopping wpa_supplicant on wlan0 ...                     [ ok ]
 * Starting wlan0
 *   Starting wpa_supplicant on wlan0 ...                       [ !! ]
[aa1][root][~] iwconfig wlan0 essid example channel auto
[aa1][root][~] ifconfig wlan0 up
[aa1][root][~] iwlist wlan0 scan | grep ESSID
                    ESSID:"KGB zone**  keep OFF**"
                    ESSID:"BELL140"
                    ESSID:"MyLinksys"
                    ESSID:"BELL325"
                    ESSID:"charmins family network 20"
                    ESSID:"and"
                    ESSID:"linksys"
                    ESSID:"default"
                    ESSID:"Kooshman"
                    ESSID:"SONA2"
                    ESSID:"BELL628"
                    ESSID:"MyDlink"
                    ESSID:"A7770"

  Fortunately, I'm an honest guy, and I choose to confine my "testing of
open system access" to places like the Toronto Public Library, where
they advertise it... http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/spe_ser_wir.jsp
A little bit of scripting, plus appropriate entries in /etc/sudoers, and
I'm all set.

-- 
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>